Passage: Exodus 29
The Big Idea
Exodus 29 describes how priests were consecrated, dedicated to God for life. Every step was about relationship, not a job: washing, clothing, anointing, blood, bread and a whole week of waiting in God’s presence. God isn’t looking for employees who serve out of duty. He’s looking for sons and daughters who share His heart.
Spurgeon’s Prayer
Charles Spurgeon came to faith in January 1850. A few weeks later he wrote a prayer of consecration, giving himself to God with humble dependence on the Holy Spirit, as a reasonable sacrifice, to be forever and unreservedly His, serving Him on earth and enjoying Him forever.
To consecrate means to dedicate to a divine purpose.
As David Guzik puts it, the great reason for consecration, for full surrender to God, isn’t mainly so we can be better workers for God, but so we can enjoy a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Him. If that doesn’t interest us, we’ll never really be motivated to consecrate ourselves.
Questions to Consider
- Do you see yourself as a worker serving God out of duty, or as a son or daughter, beloved and accepted by your Father?
- Do you see and rejoice in God’s plan of relationship first?
- Does “relationship” sound scary to you because you’ve been hurt when you opened up before?
My prayer is that God’s love will convince you He isn’t looking for workers who feel obligated, but for sons and daughters who have the Father’s interests at heart because they share His heart.
“To Minister to Me” (Exodus 29:1)
God gives Moses the steps for setting the priests apart to serve Him (Exodus 29:1).
This is the context for the whole chapter: how to serve God. This is how His priests were to begin, and continue, their service.
To Me. It’s not primarily about changing the world. It’s about relationship with God. Which will change the world, by the way.
How It Ended
Before the details, look at how this celebration ended. When Moses and Aaron came out of the tabernacle and blessed the people, the glory of the Lord appeared to everyone. Fire came from the Lord and consumed the offering on the altar. The people shouted and fell on their faces (Leviticus 9:23-24).
When the priests followed God’s instructions and blessed the people, the people saw God. God accepted their offerings. And the people were transformed: no longer about themselves, they shouted praise and bowed in surrender.
When we live God’s way, God takes responsibility for transforming us. His power changes us from sinner to saint. We can never change ourselves. If people never connect with God, they’ll never truly be different.
The Ingredients (Exodus 29:1-3)
A young bull, two rams without blemish, unleavened bread, cakes mixed with oil, and wafers anointed with oil.
- Animals: a life to sacrifice. Jesus became the sacrifice to pay for sin. The priests would kill these for their own sin. They had to personally trust the blood.
- Bread: fellowship. Jesus is our bread, our fellowship with God. The priests would eat it.
- Oil: the Holy Spirit. Jesus sends the Spirit to whoever asks. The priests would be anointed with it. Real connection with God is invisible; you can’t measure it by outward performance.
This isn’t a job. It’s a relationship.
Washing (Exodus 29:4)
Aaron and his sons were brought to the door of the tabernacle and washed with water.
To connect with God, you have to be washed. Jesus loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood (Revelation 1:5). Water also pictures the Word (Ephesians 5:26). The priests were washed by believing the Word themselves.
Not a job. A relationship: believing.
Clothing and Anointing (Exodus 29:5-9)
Aaron was dressed in the tunic, robe, ephod, breastplate, sash and turban with the holy crown. Then the anointing oil was poured on his head. His sons were dressed in their tunics, sashes and hats.
Every piece of clothing pointed to the person and work of Jesus.
- To serve God, we put on these clothes: choosing to hope in Christ and trust Him moment by moment. That’s walking by faith, abiding in His sufficiency, power and life.
- To serve God, we keep living a dependent life: depending on Jesus every day, for every problem and need.
- And the one who is clothed this way is anointed with the oil of the Spirit.
God pours out His Spirit on those who identify with His Son, who take hold of Jesus and His promises by faith and won’t let go, won’t take Him off like an old coat, but abide in Him.
Here’s my definition of anointing: God’s willingness to empower a life that humbly trusts His Son.
The Sin Offering (Exodus 29:10-14)
Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the bull. Then it was killed at the door of the tabernacle. Some of its blood was put on the horns of the altar and the rest poured at its base. The fat was burned on the altar, and the rest burned outside the camp.
To serve God, the priests had to personally come to the altar and take part in the blood sacrifice. This is about personally choosing to trust Jesus.
Spurgeon pointed out that the Hebrew word for laying on hands means more than a light touch. It means leaning hard, pressing down on the animal’s head, loading their burden onto it, accepting it as their substitute, confessing their sin and rejoicing that God would accept the sacrifice in their place.
The cross, where Jesus was sacrificed, is the only place a deep life with God begins. And if your walk with God isn’t deep right now, where do you need to go back to? Trying harder? No. The cross. Remember what He did, instead of trying to figure out what you need to do.
The Burnt Offering (Exodus 29:15-18)
The priests laid their hands on the first ram, it was killed, its blood sprinkled on the altar, and the whole ram was burned as a burnt offering, a pleasing aroma to the Lord (Exodus 29:15-18).
Jesus is the One completely consumed as a sacrifice to God, fully surrendered to the Father’s will (Ephesians 5:2). His blood is the only sacrifice that matters.
Why doesn’t God ask us to burn ourselves up? Because our sacrifice doesn’t produce the sweet aroma Jesus does. God delights in His Son and is fully pleased with Him. We trust His work, not our own sacrifices.
Rejecting self-made sacrifices leads to a delightful relationship with God: His rest. A restful life where we let go and let God do what needs to be done in and through us.
The Consecration Offering (Exodus 29:19-21)
Now that sin is dealt with, we’re done, right? No! God takes them deeper.
The priests laid their hands on the second ram, the ram of consecration. It was killed, and its blood was put on the tip of each priest’s right ear, right thumb and right big toe. Then blood and anointing oil were sprinkled on them and their garments.
Look at the priests. What do you see? Blood. Every uncovered part of their bodies, and then even their clothes, marked by the blood.
Their identity isn’t themselves: their mistakes, problems, weakness, dreams or plans. Nothing about them. It’s the blood.
How they hear (ear), work (hand) and walk (foot) are all consecrated through the blood. Jesus redeems all of it.
The Wave Offering (Exodus 29:22-28)
Parts of the ram, along with bread, cake and wafer, were placed in the priests’ hands and waved before the Lord. Some were then burned as a sweet aroma; others, like the breast and thigh, became the priests’ portion to eat.
This pictures a back-and-forth relationship. Jesus completely satisfies the Father’s heart; that’s why we’re accepted in Him. And Jesus satisfies us too. That’s the eating. Jesus said, “My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed” (John 6:55).
A Week of Consecration (Exodus 29:29-37)
The priests were to eat the meat and bread at the tabernacle door. And the consecration lasted seven days, with a sin offering every day.
It’s not about rushing to get to work for God. God wants us to marinate in His grace before we try to serve Him.
Relationship with God isn’t quick or easy. It’s not work either. It’s slow, bloody and real. God is more concerned with making holy people than productive people. He has no interest in what’s most efficient.
“But I can’t spend time with God. I’m too busy. I have all this ministry to do!” No. That misses it all.
God required a whole week of resting in what the sacrifice provided. Paul spent years in Arabia before his ministry (Galatians 1:17-18). Jesus spent thirty years abiding with His Father before His public ministry began. And we think we don’t need a deeper life of dependence on God?
The Continual Offering (Exodus 29:38-42)
Every day, a lamb in the morning and a lamb at evening, with flour, oil and wine. A continual burnt offering at the place where God promised to meet with His people and speak with them (Exodus 29:38-42).
The life of Jesus is how God meets with us and speaks to us. We need Him morning and evening and every moment in between. This isn’t a one-time decision to serve God. It’s a daily call into deeper fellowship.
“I Will Dwell Among Them” (Exodus 29:43-46)
God promised to meet with Israel there and make the place holy by His glory. He would live among them and be their God, and they would know He was the Lord who brought them out of Egypt so He could dwell among them (Exodus 29:43-46).
When we do things God’s way, we’ll truly know Him. He’ll provide everything we need through the life of His Son. And this life with Him will only grow deeper.
The Two Sons
Remember the prodigal son. A father has two sons. One leaves and wastes everything. The other stays home out of duty. The lost son returns broken and guilty, and the father runs to meet him with love, forgiveness and blessing. The older son is furious: “I’ve served you all these years, and you never threw me a party!” And the father tells him that everything he had was his all along (Luke 15:11-32). He missed the love because he was convinced he had to earn it by serving.
God is a God of grace. He wants to give. Always give. He’s not looking for employees who clock out and cut corners. He’s looking for priests who will invest time in relationship, who seek the Lord first, and then do good works with the resources they receive from fellowship with Him.
Back to the Questions
- Do you see yourself as a worker serving out of duty, or as a beloved son or daughter? Consider His love.
- Do you see God’s plan of relationship first? Consider His love.
- Does relationship feel scary because you’ve been hurt? Consider His love.
God’s love invites you into deeper fellowship every day. It calls you and draws you. It’s not a burden; it’s a blessing. It takes time, and it takes surrender in humility and faith. But whoever seeks Him with all their heart will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13).
Grace Takeaway
You were washed, clothed, anointed and marked by the blood of Jesus, not to become a better employee, but to become a son or daughter at home with the Father. Marinate in His grace. The service will flow from there.
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